Meet the Author

The FermentedlyChallenged blog has been retired since the end of October 2016. It has been a great 9 year run. Thanks to all the readers and brewery staff for all your support in the past. I'm living in the Denver metro area and working in the Cable TV industry now. Cheers and enjoy beer responsibly. Follow along on social media - @ChipperDave on Twitter and on Facebook.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Today is Swap Ideas Day. Sometimes the best ideas come from more than 1 person working together. This is a day where you are encouraged to get together with others, brainstorm, and use each other to come up with new ways of doing things. Help someone out by sharing your thoughts. And who knows, you might just solve some tough problems together. And when you do, take some time later to celebrate those ideas over a local craft beer. Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Tuesday, September 10th, 2013. If you aren't reading this article on FermentedlyChallenged.com, you don't know what you're missing.

Metro Denver

Three Freaks Brewing (Highlands Ranch) - Progress is slowing coming together on this upcoming Highlands Ranch brewery. Three Freaks Brewing just completed filing paperwork with the city and county and are progressing to the building phase on their brewery at 7140 E. County Line Road. Follow their progress on Facebook. Look for them to open possibly by the end of the year.

Black Shirt Brewing (Denver) - Coming up on Tuesday, September 17th from 6pm to 9pm, it's a Lobster Bake at the brewery! East Coast Joe's has teamed up with Black Shirt Brewing Co to present a traditional East Coast Lobster Bake in the intimate and ecclectic back yard at the brewery. The meal will include a 1.5lb lobster, steamers, corn on the cob, and roasted red potatoes. You will also have your choice of one personal 32 oz growler of our selection of Red Ales. There will be great music, great company, and this will be the perfect way to say farewell to summer and hello to a Colorado fall. We are limiting this evening to 40 people to keep it wonderful and intimate. Tickets at Eventbrite.Euclid Hall (Denver) - Looking for a unique dining experience during GABF week? On Tuesday, October 8th at 6:59pm (sunset), Euclid Hall will host an Epic Collaboration Dinner featuring beers from Firestone Walker and spirits from Leopold Bros. This pre-GABF event features beers and spirits not generally seen by the general public paired with 8 courses from the culinary team at Euclid Hall. Tickets are $100 per person including tax and gratuity and can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets. Representatives from Firestone Walker and Leopold Bros will be on hand to delve into the complexities of their beverages and offer behind-the-scenes info for attendees. Euclid Hall chef Jorel Pierce (currently appearing on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters) created a special menu for this dinner.

Wynkoop Brewing (Denver) - The 10th Annual Denver Gorilla Run is set for Saturday Oct. 26th with more than 3,000 people in gorilla suits running a 5K to benefit the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The cost of the race is $99, which includes a full gorilla suit. Participants from each of the nine previous races are being encouraged to dig out their suits and show up to help re-set Denver’s current Guinness World Record for a gorilla run with even higher numbers. After the race there is a gigantic block party for everyone in the city with food trucks, craft beer, and bands, all in front of the Wynkoop Brewing Company, Denver’s oldest and largest brew pub. More info at www.denvergorillarun.com.

Yak & Yeti (Arvada) - This week at Y&Y they are putting on a GABF beer preview. These are the beers that they will be pouring inside the GABF at the Brewpub Pavillion: Chocolate Frosting Stout, West-Coast Glutton Double Red, Jalapeno Lena, Gluten Free Apple Ale, and Chai Milk Stout. Also, coming up on October 8th during the "Beers Made By Walking" event at the Wynkoop, Yak & Yeti will be pouring their "Needles" beer - a blue spruce beer aged on cedar chips. Plus, back at the taproom this week - their Cherry Wheat is back on tap.

38 State Brewing Co (Littleton) - As of September 1st, 38 State Brewing Company has settled on a final location for their brewery at 8071 S. Broadway Unit A in Littleton, Colorado. They are now targeting a January 2014 opening for their brewery.

Breckenridge Colorado Craft (Denver) - Here's a new pre-GABF event that will feature all of the Colorado breweries currently distributed in Arizona pouring beers at Breckenridge Colorado Craft. This event is primarily targeted to people from Arizona in town for the GABF, but others are welcome. This event happens on Wednesday, October 9th from 1pm to 3pm. Some will be pouring complimentary beers. Check with the business for more details. Located at 2220 Blake Street in Denver, CO.

Dry Dock Brewing (Aurora) - Fans of Dry Dock's Friday Firkins will want to stop in this Friday at 3pm for the tapping of some Green Chili Double IPA. It's make with Mirasol roasted chiles from Nick's Garden Center.

Odyssey Beerwerks (Arvada) - Due to a required name change, they will be canning their last batch of Ghost Rider this Saturday & Sunday. After that, subsequent batches will be named and labeled "Ghost Drifter". If you want to help them can, stop by and sign up for a 4-hour shift: 8:30am-12:30pm or 12:30pm-4:30pm Saturday or 8:30am-12:30pm Sunday. And yes, you will get beer for your efforts. (Plus perhaps a collectors item from a retiring can).

Boulder County

Twisted Pine Brewing (Boulder) - Today is the day! Their popular "Mr. Brown Pumpkin Ale" is now back on tap for the season (while it lasts). It's just a small batch so it won't last long. You can even get some whip cream on top if you like. Also, their new 24 tap system is now installed and running! They have 20 beers on tap same time later today. More beers on the way soon.

Upslope Brewing (Boulder) - Expansion happens again! Yesterday, the brewery took delivery of two more 120 bbl fermentation tanks and a new 120 bbl brite tank. They were so big that they barely fit through the doors.

Fate Brewing Co (Boulder) - Did you know that if you wear your Fate gear (shirt, hat or ???) that you'll get Happy Hour prices on Fate beer all day long? Now you do.

Northern Colorado

Loveland Oktoberfest (Loveland) - Visit Grimm Brothers, Loveland Aleworks, Verboten Brewing or Big Beaver Brewing and buy a pre-paid beer card for the upcoming Loveland Oktoberfest scheduled for September 20-21. The beer card is $16 and will save you $4 on four beers at the event. Oktoberfest will be held at Foot Lagoon in Loveland. More info at www.LovelandOktoberfest.org.

High Hops Brewery (Windsor) - Two releases again this week starting on Wednesday, September 11th with a firkin of Black Cherry Wheat at 5pm. Then on Thursday, September 12th stop in for a pint of their Peach Larone, a peach blonde ale (6% ABV). Don't forget live music on Friday (6pm) and Saturday (5pm). Food trucks are available nightly Wednesday through Sunday nights. Plus! Mark your calendars now for Saturday, October 19th for their 1 Year Anniversary Party! Details coming soon.

Verboten Brewing (Loveland) - Today in the taproom at 5pm, Verboten will tap their GABF Pro-Am beer called The Poser Imperial IPA. Local homebrewer Matt Smith will be on site to tap his beer and will be available for questions. Then stick around for a new event called "Name That Tune" with Franklin Taggart Music. You can drink beer and win prizes.

Funkwerks (Ft. Collins) - Fans of cellared beers will want to note that today Funkwerks is pulling out some cellar bottles of several beers today including: Son of Nothing, Dark Prophet, and 2011 Cherry Saison. They don't have many bottles available so when they go they're gone! As for those today in the taproom.

Pateros Creek Brewing (Ft. Collins) - Heading to the CSU Rams opening home game at Hughes Stadium this Saturday? Look for the Pateros Creek Tailgate Party at the stadium from 11am to 1pm. Come say hi and get some free beer (21+ only) and free brats while they last. Plus play some Cornhole before the game. They'll be taking sign-ups for their Fall Cornhole League while you're there. This tailgate is going to be for their Fall League players only.

Mountains and West

Ska Brewing (Durango) - It's been a full year and Ska is going to continue their series of Equinox stouts by bringing back a new batch of their Ska Autumnal Molé Stout. Look for this brew to return on the Fall equinox, around September 21st. This year's batch weighs in at 5.8% ABV and 15 IBUs. This ale is brewed with cocoa nibs, spices and three varieties of chile peppers: Ancho, Guajillo and Hatch green chiles (aka Anaheim Peppers.) The series will continue as it did last year, with the release of the other three stouts in the series: Hibernal Vinifera Stout on the winter solstice, and the Vernal Minthe Stout and Estival Cream Stout in 2014. As a kickoff, they will be hosting an Inaugural Molé Stout Chili Cook-off on September 21st from 2pm to 5pm at the brewery.
_____________________________________________________________________

Live Music in the Taproom - Beer and music go great together and many Colorado breweries and top watering holes offer live entertainment every day. Check out the Colorado Brewery Music Listings and find out who's playing at your favorite brewery or beer bar. Updated daily.

Colorado Beer News is published on Fermentedly Challenged daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.